Bandage for flexible elastic walking with artificial limbs



Nov. 21, 1933 R. SCHQULZ 1,935,892

BANDAGE FOR FLEXIBLE ELASTIC WALKING WITH ARTIFICIAL LIMBS Filed ma 5, 1930 Patented Nov. 21,- 1933 PATENT OFFICE BANDAGE FOR FLEXIBLE ELASTIC WALK- ING WITH ARTIFICIAL LIMBS Richard Schulz, Reinfeld, Germany Application May 5, 1930. Serial No. 449,945

1 Claim. (c1. 3-11) 'This invention relates to a bandage and artificial limb for persons with amputated legs. It

may be mentioned as a particular advantage that through the bandage the weight of the body is 5 uniformly distributed on both hips and raising of one shoulder is positively prevented. Conse- The known bandages consist of belts sewn tightly together, which do not allow of any individual adjustment. Moreover the bandage straps are placed several times the one over the other on the back of the wearer of the artificial limb, so that on hot days this lump never dries.

The artificial limbs are made of wood or light metal and have two axles, a kneeand a footaxle, provided with abutment buckles in the knee and in the foot.

Briefly stated. the known artificial limbs all have a rigid system, so that an adjusting according to the desire of the wearer cannot be efiected. Consequently the invention relates essentially to an adjustable kneeand foot-joint, an upper high and a lower shank to be adjusted by the wearer himself, and of suitable coverings so that a state of equilibrium of all parts of .the bandage and of the artificial limb is obtained in relation to the muscles of the body which are strained. By resiliently mounting the joints and the stops 40 a complete damping of the transmitted oscillations is obtained.

The adjustable knee bolt is acted upon by a plurality of abutmentbuckles of different length so that, according to the load, more or less buckles bear onan abutment bolt. The foot socket comprises a horizontally arranged axle, whereas a ball joint is arranged ina cup and serves as a bearing for the foot axles. A lateral movement of the foot is effected by a bolt situated in the 5i direction of the foot axis. An adjustment of the shank relation to the knee axle is effected by laterally arranged bars and bolts.

When the wearer of the artificial limbhas H ascertained the correct adjustment of the artigsllcial limb this works automatically, so that the provided on the rear side of the fastening strap tirednessis entirely overcome by the complete damping with the rigid system and the efiiciency of the wearer will be two or three times greater. When the artificial limb has been adjusted in accounting for the build of the body of the wearor it can be converted according to the calling of the wearer, to a rigid, semirigid or soft system.

An'ernbodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 shows the artificial limb and the bandage in condition for use, the former being shown in longitudinal section on line 1-1 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 22 in the direction a of Fig. 4.

Fig. 3 shows a foot joint with lateral movement.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of an artificial leg.

Fig. 5 shows a rubberplate for damping the tread.

Fig. 6 is an adjustable lower bar of the shank with the corresponding upper bar.

A fastening strap A1 encircles the upper end 0 of the artificial'leg. A shoulder strap A is connected to the front of this fastening strap A1 on the outer side of the leg and extends over the shoulder on the-side of the body carrying the artificial leg across the backof the wearer and terminates around the hip on the opposite side of the body, an adjustable connecting strap C extends from the end of this shoulder strap A to the fastening strap A1 to the front of which it is attached near the inner side of the leg. A ring E is arranged at an intermediate point of this connecting strap C and a downwardly extending guide strap D branching from the shoulder strap A towards the middle of the body is conheated at its extremity to this ring E. A second shoulder strap B branching from the shoulder strap A at the waist portion of the body crosses this strap A at the back of the wearer and, after passing over the shoulder remote from the side ofthe body carrying the artificial leg is detachably connected at its end to the end of the shoulder strap A by means of a hook F. A ring K is A1 and from this ring K a backside strap J extends to the shoulder strap A to which it is attached near the point. where it passes around the hip on the side remote from that carrying the artificial leg. A rear connecting strap G is likewise connected at one end to the ring K the other end of this connecting strap G being adjustably connected by a lacing H to the shoulder straps A and B near their point of intersection on theback of the wearer.

- relatively correct positions.

The buckles or bulges 7c are. of different lengths like the fingers of the hand, the middle bulge being the longest and the neighbouring bulges being shorter in steps towards the two sides. Thus, if additional pressure is exerted-on the thigh, for example when the wearer carries a parcel, the middle bulge bears heavily on the rubber bolt 0 whereas the neighbouring bulges one on each side of the middle bulge bear lightly 1 on the bolt 0, and if the pressure is very great these neighbouring bulges will also bear heavily on the bolt '0 and the outer fingers bear lightly thereon. Thus the heavier the load on the thigh is the more bulges It will bear on thebolt 0. If! the wearer has to perform heavy work, the rubber bolt 0 may be made of greater diameterso that even when light pressure is exerted on the thigh several bulges will bear on the bolt. With this object the bolt 0 is arranged exchangeable in a cavity pin the shank.

In the construction without knee piece (Fig. 2) a bar q and an upper bar 1' are provided, the latter engaging by means of a pin 3 in a slot t and carrying the knee axle d in a cut out portion 14 in its upper end. The two bars are connected by adjustable bolts 12 and serve to displace the knee axle relative to the ground so that the foot, the thigh and'tne shank assume 7 The shank g consists of a suitable number of plywood discs w. The shank ishollow in the middle in order to reduce the weight and the upper and lower portions are connected by ribs it and y. The foot is connected with the shank by a screw 2. The

screw 2 ends as ball cup L, which in turn is accommodated in a cup M and serves at the same time as bearing for the foot axle O. A boss P I engages over the axle O and is connected with a bolt Q, on which a screw R is rotatably mounted and allows lateral tilting of the foot in the event of unevennesses in the ground. Two screws R are preferably provided (Fig.1).

For shock absorbing, ,When stepping or the like, a rubber plate is provided between the plywood plates w (Fig. 4). This consists of a ,of the artificial leg. solid rubber cross '1, crape rubber U between the r arms of said cross and a connecting bolt S.

Between the plywood plate w and the foot W rubber pads Y are provided behind the foot axle X. In front of the foot axle towards the toe a crape rubber insert Z is arranged, in order to increase the elasticity.

Between the upper thigh and the shank a crape rubber insert Z1 is arranged behind the knee axle d in order to produce a better sudden returning of the shank into the upright position.

The knee abutment, the foot abutment at the front and the tread in the heel are harmoniously adjusted to one another. Owing to the joints built into the artificial limb, the walking capability is not impeded in the least, the bending at the knee joint being effected by the pull exerted by the body straps during the rearward movement of the leg in conjunction with the special. construction of the elastic bolt and bulges.

I claim: A body harness with artificial leg for ensuring flexible elastic walking with artificial limbs especially for persons with leg amputated at the thigh, comprising in'combination withthe artiflcial leg, 9. fastening strap encircling the up- 1 per end of the artificial leg, a shoulder strap connected to said fastening strap on the outer side of the leg and extending over the shoulder on the side of the body carrying the artificial leg across the back and around the hip on the op- 1 posite side of the body, a connecting strap extending from said fastening strap to the end of said shoulder strap, a'ring arranged at anintermediate point in said connecting strap, a. downwardly extendingv strap branching from 1 said shoulder strap towards the centre of the body connected at its end to said ring, a second, shoulder strap branchingfrom said first mentioned shoulder strap at thewaist portion of the body crossing said first mentioned shoulder.

strap at the back of the wearer passing. over: the

shoulder remote, from the side of the body to; which the leg is fitted/at. its end'and connected in the front of the body to the. end of said first mentioned shoulder strap, a ring; on the, rear. side of said fastening strap, a backsidestrap connected at one end to said rear fastening strap ring and at its other end to said first mentioned shoulder strap near the hip on the side of the body remote to that carrying the artificial leg,

a rear connecting strap connected at one end? to said rear fastening strap ring, and a lacing connecting saidrear connectingstrap. to both of said shoulder straps near the. crossing point of said shoulder strap on the back of. the. wearer 1 I RICHARD SCHULZ. 

